Posted on 06/24/2005 8:35:12 AM PDT by Happy2BMe
Some Homeowners Vow To Stay Despite Ruling Against Them
But few options seem available
New London — Drive by Michael Cristofaro's home at 50 Denison Ave. tomorrow; he promises you'll see this sign: FOR SALE.
“I'm out of here. I'm selling my home,” Cristofaro, a New London resident for 43 years, said Thursday. “I'm a white-collar worker, a computer engineer. Who do they want living in this town?”
The Cristofaro family owns a second home, at 53 Goshen St., in the Fort Trumbull neighborhood. On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the city's right to take that home, and the homes of six other property owners, by eminent domain.
The decision came as no surprise to those fighting to save their homes.
“I sort of figured it would go that way,” said Byron Athenian, who lives at what used to be 78 Smith St. before the street in front of his house was demolished. “That's the way the government works.”
But there was anger nonetheless.
“Those justices made the wrong decision,” Cristofaro said. “Four of them protected our property rights; five threw them out the door. I hope their property is chosen next for eminent domain so they know what it's like to be thrown out into the street.”
And even though, after six years of fighting the city, the group seemed to have run low on options, several promised that they would never leave.
“I'm not going anywhere. I'm here,” said William von Winkle, who owns three buildings on what remains of Smith Street. “I'm going to fight until they give up. They can do their little development around here with us here or they can do no development and try to take it, because until they stop trying to take my property by eminent domain, they will not build anything at Fort Trumbull. It's simple as that.”
“I don't know how they're going to get us out,” Cristofaro agreed. “We're going to keep our homes to the bitter end, because what they've done is wrong.”
And they warned every citizen of New London and the nation at large that the court's ruling stripped them of their right to own private property.
“One of the most fundamental rights that the country was built upon has been pretty much obliterated,” said Scott Sawyer, a lawyer who represented the homeowners. “Owning property doesn't seem to amount to much in the United States anymore. Certainly, none of us own our property anymore.”
Richard Beyer, a plaintiff who owns two homes at 41 and 49 Goshen St., agreed.
“We've pretty much lost our right to have private property,” he said. “Everybody that owns homes, their homes are at risk for eminent domain.”
And that, said Beyer, Cristofaro and von Winkle, now translates into giving the land of small property owners to big corporations.
“As one gentleman that I just got off the phone with said, ‘Welcome to Russia,' ” Beyer said. “So it's scary. I just feel bad for my kids when they get to be my age and own their own home. They don't own it. Either the bank owns it or a private corporation's going to own it.”
The homeowners predicted that more land in the city would end up in the hands of private corporations.
“I guarantee you that just about every house from Howard Street to Shaw's Cove is going to be targeted,” Beyer said. “I see that whole district in New London as being Pfizer's business park. It'll be like Avery Point minus the houses. You'll have access to Fort Trumbull State Park and that'll be it.”
Beyer, who with a partner had renovated one of his two houses and was working on the second when the city took them, said one bitter lesson he had learned was never again to do business in New London.
And he pointed out the city has never delivered on its promise that Pfizer's arrival in the city would mean lower taxes.
“The city of New London promised all the residents of New London that all your property taxes will be reduced,” he said. “That promise was never fulfilled. The taxes keep going up ... When is enough enough?”
And who, several asked, would want to build in the Fort Trumbull area now?
“They're taking the properties for an obsolete plan,” von Winkle said. “Today, who would build a hotel in New London, Connecticut? And they certainly wouldn't build an office building. We have half the city empty now. So what are they taking it for?”
For Cristofaro, the home at 53 Goshen St. is the second the city has taken from his family by eminent domain. The city took the first house, on Woodbridge Street near Shaw's Cove, in 1972.
It was a home, Cristofaro said, that his father had lovingly surrounded with fruit trees, grapevines, yews and rhododendrons.
Today it is a parking lot.
That is my concern. Silence reveals much.
"I WENT BACK TO OHIO
BUT MY CITY WAS GONE
THERE WAS NO TRAIN STATION
THERE WAS NO DOWNTOWN
SOUTH HOWARD HAD DISAPPEARED
ALL MY FAVORITE PLACES
MY CITY HAD BEEN PULLED DOWN
REDUCED TO PARKING SPACES
A, O, WAY TO GO OHIO"
WELL I WENT BACK TO OHIO
BUT MY FAMILY WAS GONE
I STOOD ON THE BACK PORCH
THERE WAS NOBODY HOME
I WAS STUNNED AND AMAZED
MY CHILDHOOD MEMORIES
SLOWLY SWIRLED PAST
LIKE THE WIND THROUGH THE TREES
A, O, OH WAY TO GO OHIO
WELL I WENT BACK TO OHIO
BUT MY PRETTY COUNTRYSIDE
HAD BEEN PAVED DOWN THE MIDDLE
BY A GOVERNMENT THAT HAD NO PRIDE
THE FARMS OF OHIO
HAD BEEN REPLACED BY SHOPPING MALLS
AND MUZAK FILLED THE AIR
FROM SENECA TO CUYAHOGA FALLS
SAID, A, O, OH WAY TO GO OHIO "
Coming soon to lots of American Cities.
It's no different than what Jeb Bush tried to do in Florida when he enacted "Terri's Law". While the Terri people cheered, they never bothered to look, THINK and realize that Jeb Bush had stripped them of their constitutional rights and freedoms, and the right to privacy guaranteed in Florida state law. Fortunately it was later overturned. Just imagine how many aren't and end up like this. People DO have to WAKE UP and DEMAND that the government do what it's supposed to do, protect our constitution. There are all sorts of violations of the constitution, most of them put in place by Democrats, but violations none the less, such as treaties and agreements with the UN. The UN has NO jurisdiction in America, and has NO business influencing any laws or activities, property rights etc. in this country.
I also wrote a letter to the 5 idiots that thought this decision was right. I DEMANDED their immediate resignation. Not that it will do any good.
Congress has no inclination to defend rights. They have the power, not the will.
So, which side attacked the Middle Class with this ruling?
Say goodbuy to the the constitution because it is now gone. Not a single part of it is left intact. We no longer have a free nation. The CEO and board of directors has now become the lord of his kingdom and can evict anyone he wants to for the sake of improving his own land holdings buy the power of his money and lawyers. That is what happens when idiots forget to just read and follow the constitution and instead interpret what they want it to say.
Not in blue states. You are not even allowed to fire a gun if someone forces there way into your home.
I would be surprised if they did. Country club Republicans never disagree with establishment decisions. Hand the senator a nine iron.
They know that 'voting from the rooftops' will happen.
Well this same group trashed the free press provision of the 1st last year not to mention numerous anti freedom of religion rulings over the years. The Patriot Act eviscerates the 4th and the 5th and is just waiting for a USSC ruling to codify it.
Wake up people the Bill of Rights is on very shaking ground in this Country.
A better question is, what makes people think Bush CAN do anything? He can't use executive order to overturn a judgement, that's against the rules too, separation of powers. Only a higher court can do that. What he CAN do is order a constitutional amendment strengthening the intended wording, but still that will not overturn the judgement made, and the people who lost out because of it.
That's nothing.
Wait until some despondent homeowner goes down to the local mosque and asks Mohammad for help.
There's the problem, eh?
The mentality that the 'rulers' 'allow' the peons to do this or that.
It is beyond time to remind these @$$holes who really is in charge under our form of government.
I was thinking the same thing. A giant sit-in would hopefully make a point.
LQ
Ditto
How? I hear a lot of crappola about 'we elected these tyrants'. Freepers forget all the voter fraud threads we tracked here at FR. These tyrants are selected, not elected.
Emails, phone calls, letters to the editors get ignored. At protests, people that get recognized by these tyrants end up losing their jobs.
I'm all for action. But when I put people on the spot and ask WHAT can we do, I hear crickets.
Maybe it's time for a massive peaceful demonstration to stand with these embattled homeowners to show support for these embattled homeowners. The outrage against this tyranical supreme court decision will bring thousands to support these people. Maybe the politicians will think twice.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.